President Thomas S. Monson shared a story illustrating the blessings that come from avoiding contention. After reading 3 Nephi 11:28–30, he said: “Let me conclude with an account of two men who are heroes to me. Their acts of courage were not performed on a national scale, but rather in a peaceful valley known as Midway, Utah. “Long years ago, Roy Kohler and Grant Remund served together in Church capacities. They were the best of friends. They were tillers of the soil and dairymen. Then a misunderstanding arose which became somewhat of a rift between them. “Later, when Roy Kohler became grievously ill with cancer and had but a limited time to live, my wife, Frances, and I visited Roy and his wife, and I gave him a blessing. As we talked afterward, Brother Kohler said, Let me tell you about one of the sweetest experiences I have had during my life.’ He then recounted to me his misunderstanding with Grant Remund and the ensuing estrangement. His comment was, ‘We were sort of on the outs with each other.’ “‘Then,’ continued Roy, ‘I had just put up our hay for the winter to come, when one night, as a result of spontaneous combustion, the hay caught fire, burning the hay, the barn, and everything in it right to the ground. I was devastated,’ said Roy. ‘I didn’t know what in the world I would do. The night was dark, except for the dying embers of the fire. Then I saw coming toward me from the road, in the direction of Grant Remund’s place, the lights of tractors and heavy equipment. As the “rescue party” turned in our drive and met me amidst my tears, Grant said, “Roy, you’ve got quite a mess to clean up. My boys and I are here. Let’s get to it.”’ Together they plunged to the task at hand. Gone forever was the hidden wedge which had separated them for a short time. They worked throughout the night and into the next day, with many others in the community joining in. “Roy Kohler has passed away, and Grant Remund is getting older. Their sons have served together in the same ward bishopric. I truly treasure the friendship of these two wonderful families” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2002, 22; or Ensign, May 2002, 20–21).
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 03:32:18 +0000
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